Delayed Cattle Vaccination Irks Farmers

Sembabule — Livestock farmers in Sembabule District, whose cattle were attacked by tick borne disease, are frustrated by the delayed vaccination of their cattle against the disease.

Mr Moses Ninsiima, the chairperson Sembabule Cattle Keepers’ Association, said farmers fear that the delayed vaccination exercise might result into more death of cattle and called for government is quick response to this threat.

Delays

“We were told that the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry had brought drugs and they were going to test the effectiveness, starting with Kiruhura District before rolling it out to other parts of the cattle corridor, but there is nothing going on ,” he said in an interview yesterday

However, Mr Ninsiima said when they met Minister Joy Kabatsi, during a recent function in Nyabitanga, Ntuusi Sub-county, they expected her to give them an update about the vaccination programme, but in vain.

When contacted, Ms Kabatsi was quick to say that she was just misunderstood by the residents, and that she only told them to stop mixing politics in the campaign against ticks.

“I just encouraged them to cooperate with my ministry to fight the problem regardless of their political beliefs, because some may not wish me well because they are strong supporters of my political opponents. I think when I warned them against mixing politics in development, they immediately thought I was hitting at Mr Kutesa, which was not the case,” Ms Kabatsi said in a telephone interview.

Testing of the drug

Ms Kabatsi revealed that the drugs that were tested in Kiruhura were successful and are yet to be rolled out in the cattle corridor.

She explained that they have already secured Shs10 billion that was needed to carry out the vaccination exercise.

Government recently promised to carry out mass vaccination of animals and sensitisation of farmers in the affected areas on the right acaricides to use.